By Joe PlataniaCSNBaltimore.com/PressBoxOnline.comRAVENS PAGE | RAVENS VIDEO
The above headline may be a bit misleading.
Even during a lockout, we know that quarterback Joe Flacco will have more control over the offense and that he will have more direct contact with offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, rather than having quarterback coach Jim Zorn as an intermediary.
We know that former secondary coach Chuck Pagano is the new defensive coordinator and that he has promised a scheme that would “wreak havoc” more often than it seemed to do under predecessor Greg Mattison.
We know that special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg is back to lead a unit that rose dramatically in the Gosselin year-end special teams index. The Ravens had the NFL’s eighth-best special teams unit in the league in 2010, their highest ranking in recent memory.
No, the “calls” we’re referring to are the many decisions that have to be made in a short period of time to re-shape the Ravens’ roster once the lockout ends and the owners and players reach a new collective-bargaining agreement.
Here are some of the key behind-the-scene players who will be working in a Vin Diesel-esque front-office scenario, since their decisions will have to come in a fast and furious manner, to say the least:
It goes without saying that Newsome’s usually-spot-on eye for talent might get a little blurry in the next few weeks.
That’s because he and DeCosta have to oversee the Ravens’ portion of what has been described by many as a “Wild West” scenario that is about to unfold, what with roughly 500 veteran free agents hitting the open market and undrafted players that need to be signed to fill out the roster before training camp begins.
If nothing else, Newsome and DeCosta can understand what these players are going through, since it took lots of hard work on their part to rise through the ranks and attain their current positions.
They can quickly drive home the message to any new player that it’s going to take the same kind of effort and work ethic to make a team that feels it can again contend for a Super Bowl.
But, by the same token, they have to sell any prospective player on Baltimore and the Ravens as a championship destination, and do it fast. That’s because a player working under this kind of time crunch is going to want to see what the 31 other teams have to offer.
As a former West Coast area scout, the 11-year NFL veteran -- who is no relation to general manager Ozzie Newsome -- helped the Ravens see the potential in college players such as UCLA’s Jonathan Ogden, Arizona State’s Todd Heap and Terrell Suggs, and Arizona’s Chris McAlister.
In 2003, Newsome became the pro personnel assistant before ascending to his current job six years later. It is his job to procure veteran free agents and to scan the so-called “waiver wire” to look for unattached NFL veterans.
Newsome’s job will be tougher than ever this year, what with a bloated free-agent market brought about by a probable return back to 1994-2009 player-movement rules that provide for unrestricted free agency after four years instead of last year’s six.
Including this year’s draft class, the Ravens currently have 69 players on their roster, but as many as 15 could be hitting the open market.
As much as Baltimore tries to re-sign its own players, past standouts such as safety Dawan Landry, tackle Jared Gaither, cornerback Fabian Washington, fullback Le’Ron McClain and wideouts TJ Houshmandzadeh and Donte’ Stallworth might not return.
It is up to Newsome to find out which players around the league will replace them, as well as others that could leave.
Hortiz, an eight-year scout who ascended to Eric DeCosta’s former position after the latter was promoted to head of player personnel, has a staff of scouts who did their usual job last fall criss-crossing the country evaluating the best college talent.
They came back with an eight-man draft class in April that was again lauded as one of the league’s best, featuring players such as Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith, Maryland wideout Torrey Smith and Central Florida tackle Jah Reid.
However, Hortiz and his staff were not allowed -- per lockout rules -- to sign any undrafted free agents, the so-called “scrap heap” of players that can sometimes yield key contributors. The Ravens got linebackers Bart Scott and Jameel McClain, among many others, in this fashion, while standout Houston running back Arian Foster was also undrafted.
Since training-camp rosters will be able to expand to 90 players instead of the usual 80 due to the lockout, all 32 teams will be running their cellphone bills through the roof as they scramble to sign undrafted players.
In short, Hortiz’s staff will have even more to do with much less time in which to do it.
PAT MORIARTY,FOOTBALL ADMINISTRATION VICE-PRESIDENT
Moriarty has an industrial management degree from Georgia Tech, where he played running back before limited duty as a player in Cleveland and Miami. His cumbersome title is just another way of saying “capologist.”
Last year, neither the Ravens nor the 31 other NFL teams had to worry about going over the salary cap, because there wasn’t one for the first time since the current free-agency system began in 1993.
However, despite the players’ declaration a couple of years back that they would never go back to a cap-oriented system, there will be one in place when the lockout ends. The cap is expected to be around $120 million, slightly lower than the 2009 level most recently used.
The real change comes when one considers the new salary floor, the minimum that must be spent. It used to be at a level so low, most fans didn’t even know it existed, but this time around, teams will have to spend at least 95% of the cap level, a figure that could reach as much as 98 percent.
According to ESPN.com figures released earlier this offseason, the Ravens currently have over $110 million committed to players under contract for 2011. But that does not yet include rookie deals for the eight draft picks, undrafted players or any veteran free agents, so finding cap room to retain the Ravens‘ own free agents could be a tough chore.
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